BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mud lead singer Gray dies at 57 Mud lead singer Gray dies at 57 Late Mud singer Les Gray, was a star in the 70s Les Gray, lead singer of 1970s chart topping band Mud has died at 57. The glam rock star died of a heart attack in Portugal, his home for 12 years, and had been battling against throat cancer for some time. Doctors wanted to remove Gray's voicebox as part of his treatment, but he opted for chemotherapy instead in an effort to save his voice and career. Gray was due to take part in a concert in Scotland including Alvin Stardust, Marmalade and Middle of the Road. The charity gig in Glasgow on Saturday is still going ahead as a tribute to the 70s musician. Mud (with Les Gray centre) appeared on Top of the Pops Saturday's Blast From The Past was due to be his comeback, and organisers expressed their sadness and shock at Gray's death. "He was using this concert to give him a focus for his recovery, and offered to MC for the event and sing if he felt up for it," said event organiser Caroline McFarlan.

"It will now be a fitting tribute to a very popular star," she added. Talent winners They formed in 1968 and won a national talent contest which brought them to prominence. Their first television appearance was on the Basil Brush Show, while they toured extensively, opening for crooner Jack Jones. The band consisted of Gray, drummer Dave Mount, Ray Stiles on bass and Rob Davis on guitar. Davis went on to become a successful pop songwriter, with Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head and Spiller chart-topper Groovejet among his credits. Mud scored a trio of number ones in the mid-70s with Lonely This Christmas, Tiger Feet and Oh Boy. Tiger Feet went on to become the biggest-selling single of 1974, while their last chart hit was Lean On Me in 1976. The band split up in 1977, and Gray went solo and took Les Gray's Mud on the road. He eventually moved to the Algarve with his wife Carol, who blamed his illness on a 50-a-day smoking habit. Back to the top Were you a fan of Gray and his band Mud during their heyday in the 70s?

This comments page is now closed but you can see a selection of your tributes below. This is sad news. I loved Mud as a kid and later played in bands on the 70's circuit when sometimes Mud were on the same bill. I remember meeting Les for the first time and watching the gig that night from the side of the stage. 2000+ people just loving every minute of a great performance. That's how I'm going to remember him. Alex, Widnes, UK Being from the USA it was very hard to find anything by Mud. I remember reading about them in Melody Maker and NME and just knowing I had to hear them. It took awhile but I was finally able to track down their first two albums and WOW what a surprise! Hearing "Tiger Feet" and "The Cat Crept In" and "Rocket" was so thrilling. Equal to any of the other Glam Rock bands of that era they were always my best kept Glam Rock secret because no one over here had ever heard of them. I loved playing "Tiger Feet" to someone and just watching them smile and dance!

ELaw, Hanover, Massachusetts, USA I was born and raised in the NE of England and now live in the US........It took my breath away to read that Les Gray had died as Mud were my musical memories of my 'growing up' into my teen years.......A party or family get-together was not complete without a bop to Tiger Feet with a drunken aunt or my granny or Xmas wouldn't be Xmas if Les wasn't telling us he was going to be 'Lonely this Xmas' without you to hold......Les....God bless you and may you be crooning with Elvis right now showing him your tigerfeet! You were Dyna-mite !! Stan Latimer, New Jersey USA Have just heard the sad news of Mudï¿½s Les Grayï¿½s death. There songs bring back so many memories of my school days in Scotland. I really liked his voice, and they where a super group. I would like to send my condolences to his family. He will be sadly missed. Fiona , Palma de Mallorca - Spain Thanks for the memories Les. I will treasure my Mud records even more now.

Val, Bristol A very sad day for Glam Rockers everywhere, Les and Mud were so great during the 70's and the Glam Rock era, I've been a fan ever since I bought Tiger Feet at eight, He will be greatly missed, but will leave such brilliant memories. Richard Young, Cambridge, UK An icon of the times. He brings back the 70's with a tear in my eye. Terry, Walsall What a sad day. Les & the band were the soundtrack to my schooldays - home from school & put on the record player then dad & me would dance around the living room doing all the actions to "dynamite" Tiger Feet" etc.... In fact we still turn up the radio when "Mud" is played, and will continue to do so. Our condolences to all his family & friends. JANE, Gloucestershire, Cirencester, Glos I remember 'Tiger Feet' from school discos in the 70s with great fondness. Pure unpretentious fun and entertainment. Stuart Jebbitt, So sorry to hear the sad news. We were all so proud of Les and his music.

Went to both Junior School Sherwood and Senior School Pollards with him. Joan Brashier, Croydon Mud were one of the few bands from the 70s whose music can still be played today and liven up any party. They were one of my favourite bands as a teenager, and my memories of those times are all the sweeter for the contribution Les and Mud made to them. I shall miss him greatly. My sincere commiserations to his family and friends. S. Spence-Richards, London, UK Thanks for the memories. Just keep the feet tapping wherever you are. Very underrated performer of the seventies. David Bulloch, Cambridge UK How sad to hear of Les's death - I will always remember Tiger Feet being played at my sixteenth birthday! RIP Les & thanks for the memories! Caroline Buggea, Nuneaton, Warks Les has now joined Marc Bolan, the Sweet's Brian Connolly and the Glitter Band's Gerry Shepherd in Glam Rock Heaven. Without these three great singers and brilliant showmen, the world will be a much duller place.

Kevin Connolly, Belfast, Ireland I was a 70s kid (I still am at heart) I still listen to my Mud Rock 1 + 2 albums (on vinyl). Rest In Peace Les, thank for the memories. Paul Bushnell, Leeds As I was young in the early 70s, this was the first kind of music I heard. Thanks for the good memories. Sean Mott, London What can I say? A part of me has gone today. Fun, great music.....made my childhood a good time to live through. My condolences to his family Nick White, barley, herts What a sad day. Les epitomised the great days of the seventies. God bless, rest in peace mate. Dave smith, Banstead God bless Les. Thanks for all the fun, we shall miss you very much. Phillip Anderton, Poole, Dorset A very sad day indeed. I've seen Mud many times over the years and last saw them at Butlins. Les and the guys provided great entertainment and Les never lost his enthusiasm for performing. He was up there with the other 70s Glam Rock 'stars and will be sorely missed.

Trevor, Gloucestershire, UK Without Les it will certainly be lonely this Christmas. What a great fun act they were - a relic from a seemingly innocent age. Russ Kavanagh, Cheshire Popular music at that time may have been lightweight for some but it was joyful and fun unlike today's music which encourages "attitude". The attitude then was that life was fun and enjoyable. I trust Les enjoyed his life in direct proportion to the happiness he brought us disco dancing youngsters. Condolences to his family and friends. lynne, Farnborough UK Les and the boys saw me through my teenage years, I felt I knew them all, they were the guys next door made good and they made music fun. Condolences to his family, Dave, Rob and Ray. Rest in peace Les, I'll miss you and thanks for the good times. Paul Rodgers, Rotherham, England I think Mud were in a different league to Slade, Sweet etc, being more varied on their single output. The Glam was in their earlier hits but they also tackled cover versions in credible form. Singles such as Oh Boy and Lean On Me displayed this variety.

Fronted by Les they portrayed fun and a "not taking this too seriously" approach to their style. I bought their singles years after the hits stopped, only recently found Lonely This Christmas in a picture sleeve. Thanks Les and the rest of Mud. Andrew James, Mold, North Wales. I remember seeing Mud perform at a pub in Brentford, West London) around 1981. The atmosphere was magic. It was the only time I ever saw people dancing on the tables. Peter, Berks. UK My first recollection of Mud was in 1966, seeing their pre-glam Thames van careering around the streets of London. Les and the boys have given me much pleasure since and though Les, a great frontman, has clearly been very unwell in recent times, his legacy of pure, unadulterated fun, and living the rock and roll lifestyle to the full in the 1970's will live with me and other die-hard fans forever. God bless you Les and thanks for it all. Geoff Stacey, Bromley, Kent I remember going to Mud concerts and dancing to Tiger Feet at discos.

Indeed it was played recently at a birthday party and I enjoyed reliving my youth on the dance floor. Very sad at the news. Rilla, Worcester, UK Mud were a great band to secretly admire as an avowed heavy metal fan. I didn't dear reveal my enjoyment of the band to my peers. A telling feature of their success is the number of folk who can recall the lyrics of their songs. Les's death is sad loss to us all. I hope that Saturday's blast from the past will be a fitting tribute to the man. Vernon levy, Leeds, UK Les will be sadly missed. Great guy. Great Band. Rose Thompson, Croydon. England The so-called pop bands of today should be made to watch the master showman at work - we'll miss you Les. David , London As a kid who grew up in the 70s, Mud were not only responsible for their catchy pop tunes, but also for helping us cross the road safely - anyone else remember the "Stop, Look & Listen" public information film featuring Les? Nigel Slater, UK It'll be lonely this Christmas without him, He was our Elvis Christie, Luton My Mud collection will be played loud and proud tonight in tribute.

Tiger Feet remains the best song ever to get a party going. RIP Les and thank you for some great parties and loads of memories Mike, Ipswich I remember seeing MUD perform at Huddersfield Town F.C in the early seventies when I was around 13. I think it was the first 'pop' concert I had been to and still remember it vividly. Happy Memories. Andrea Meany, Aberdeen, Scotland. I met Les Gray once, 27 years ago, while on work experience with a newspaper. He was a nice guy and he will be sadly missed. Michael Kelly , Belfast He gave us much joy and happiness through his songs. Thanks mate! Ian, Providence, USA One of the 70s icons who gave so much pleasure with such great music to so many people. Someone who will be greatly missed and who's music will never be copied or replaced. Steve Daglish, Swindon.Wilts. England Rest in peace, Les Gray from Mud. Tiger Feet was the first single I ever bought in 1973. I don't think anyone could claim that Mud were one of the greats but they never harmed anyone.

I saw them in concert in Leeds in 1989 on the day the Berlin Wall came down. They were awful but it was a pleasant nostalgic evening and then I got home to find that the iron curtain had torn. Les Gray was a good man, sympathies should be sent to his family and friends. Paul, Dalston, London Mud, like many of the other Glam-rockers e.g. Sweet, Alvin Stardust etc, were part of an unpretentious, "music for fun" movement that was refreshing then and is still refreshing. Thanks to Les and Co for the happy memories; it certainly will be "Lonely This Christmas" without them ! MB, UK This is a sad day - Mud broke the mould. Jules, London The Angels will be sporting feather cuts and Foster Grants today. Farewell Les, you were a great entertainer. Paul Fillingham, Nottingham, England I saw Mud play at the Theatre Royal in Norwich in the early 70s. It was amusing for me in as much as it was the only time I've been to a gig and witnessed the phenomenon of screaming teenage girls. But hysteria aside, Mud were faultless and very professional, with their flamboyant and brilliant guitarist.

Les Gray kept the whole thing together, and who could forget his take on Elvis? Clive, Norwich, UK Will be sadly missed. Part of my childhood has died as a result of Les's untimely demise Paul mc kenna, Belfast. Ireland Will be sadly missed, but some great music from the 70s. Jane, Bradford England Les was a real great and wrote the soundtrack to my youth. It is a sad day for music. Simon Smedley, Tameside 'Tiger Feet' was the first single I ever bought. He will be sadly missed. Glam On ! Ashley Judge, Aylesbury, Bucks All I can say is what a great loss to music. Talented men like this come along only once in a lifetime. We will all be lonely this Christmas without him... Ross, Cheam, UK Tiger feet was one of the great songs of our heyday. School disco's came alive when it was played. OH BOY what good times we had thanks to the likes of mud and many other 70s bands. Mary Campion, Bishops Stortford England Mud were my favourite band of the 70s.

I was in my teens and songs like Tiger Feet, Dynamite, The Cat Crept In and Running Bear will always be among my top tracks. It's a sad loss of one of the 70s top stars. Mike, Kent, UK I grew up with glam rock in the 70s and Tiger feet was my youth Clubs anthem. I had the pleasure of meeting Les and the rest of Mud at a concert one Easter with another youth organisation in the 80s. As part of the organising committee of the event we persuaded them to do away with stage barrier controls. This meant they where closer to the audience. needless to say Les and the rest of the boys enjoyed themselves better. He told us afterwards it was one of the best gigs he has done in a long while. A comment that has held firm with me always.

I'm sorry to hear of his loss and so the rest of the 3000 18plusers crowd at the concert Andy Major, Rochester, Kent I remember when I was aged 7 and my sister 5, doing the Tiger Feet dance and eating jam sandwiches in the living room of our parents' council maisonette for several Sunday evenings in early '74 while listening to the Top 20 (as it was then) Chart Show. It was either listen to Mud or watch Stars On Sunday. No contest. Mark, Enfield, England So sorry to hear of Les dying I was a huge fan of mud. I had a large poster of mud on my bedroom wall. Oh bliss. Best wishes Elaine Dlewlow, Dheadle Stoke on Trent I was about 12 years of age during Mud's heyday but I can remember it as if it was yesterday. For me they were golden years and Les now follows those other 70s great like Marc Bolan, Ray Connelly (Sweet). I thought they were great and he was one of the original frontmen of the time. It's a sad day for music and especially for anyone who can remember the 70s with any fondness.

Les, RIP, you're gonna be missed Hughie, Brit in The Netherlands That's such sad news. Mud were 'it' for so many of us during the 70's - I've still got all their records and can still remember all the dance routines - not that they were ever very difficult! Condolences to his family and the other band members. Susan Chandler, Cambridge, England I always remember Mud songs being played at school discos. I saw them play live when I was 19, and they were one of the most fun bands I ever saw. I even ended up dancing on the stage with them. A fantastic memory. Jo, UK Learn and talk about Les Gray, 20th-century English singers, English male singers, Glam rock musicians, People from Carshalton Thomas Leslie "Les" Gray (9 April 1946 – 21 February 2004) was an English musician best known for his work with glam rock pop band Mud . Gray was also known for his distinctive vocal impersonation of Elvis Presley . Early life and career[ edit ] Gray was born in Carshalton , Surrey, in 1946.

[1] He was a self-taught musician, [1] and during his school years, he played trumpet with a jazz band, and then, with a younger brother, went on to form the skiffle unit, The Mourners. After leaving school he worked for Pearl & Dean , writing commercials, and later for Moss Bros before finding success with Mud. [2] With a few line-up changes, The Mourners evolved into Mud in February 1966, with Gray on vocals, Dave Mount on drums, Rob Davis on guitar, and Ray Stiles on bass, and won the Search for Sound song contest the same year. [1] After a few unsuccessful singles including "Flower Power", they were signed to Mickie Most 's RAK record label , and gained television exposure via an appearance on The Basil Brush Show . [2] They toured in support of Tom Jones in 1973. [1] Mud had a string of hits written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman , including two which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1974, " Lonely This Christmas ", and " Tiger Feet ", and a chart topping cover of " Oh, Boy!

" (originally performed by Buddy Holly ). They disbanded in 1979. Gray had a Top 40 solo hit (#32) in 1977 with his cover version of " A Groovy Kind of Love ." [3] He later toured with backing musicians under the name 'Les Gray's Mud', but never found the same level of success as he had enjoyed with the original outfit. Gray appeared as a guest in the 1979 TV-series Jack Good's Oh Boy . Personal life[ edit ] In 1992, Gray moved with his wife Carol to live in the Algarve region of Portugal . He died on 21 February 2004, of a heart attack, whilst fighting throat cancer . [2] Les Gray | The Independent Tuesday 24 February 2004 00:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Thomas Leslie Gray, singer: born Carshalton, Surrey 9 April 1946; married; died Largos, Portugal 21 February 2004.

Les Gray was the lead singer of Mud, one of the most successful bands of the Seventies, whose hit records included "Tiger Feet" (1974), "Lonely This Christmas" (the Christmas No 1 in 1974) and "Oh Boy" (1975). "I don't know why we called ourselves Mud," said Gray in 1994, but I know we wanted one short word like The Who or Them because it looks so good on posters. If you're on a festival with a lot of acts, you want big lettering and you don't stand a chance if you're called the Incredible String Band. Mud was also a funny name and we knew we would get all the "Mud in your eye" and "My name is Mud" jokes. "Tiger Feet" spent four weeks at the top of the charts in 1974. "Mike Chapman played it to us on an acoustic guitar and I thought it was a terrible song," said Gray: It was just "That's right, that's right, that's right" but, by the time we had worked out the arrangement, it was very strong.

That riff at the start had a jazzy feel to it: it was played on a fuzz guitar but a trad band could play it. When we did it on stage, the reaction was incredible. Even now, if I go "Yeaaaah!", people will go "That's right, that's right, that's right". "Tiger Feet" is only a load of geezers shouting at the top of their voices, but it worked, my God, it worked. Gray was born in Carshalton, Surrey, in 1946. He was influenced by a cousin who played him a 78 rpm of "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley and he loved Presley's early films like G.I. Blues. While working in London as a copywriter for the cinema advertisers Pearl and Dean, Gray played with different bands around Mitcham, Surrey and eventually, in 1966, the four-piece Mud was formed, with Rob Davis (lead guitar), Dave Mount (drums) and Ray Stiles (bass). They made their first appearance together at the Streatham Ice Rink.

Their first single, "Flower Power" (1967), was released for the Summer of Love and was produced by Junior Campbell of Marmalade; it was followed by a vocal version of the poem "Up the Airy Mountain". "We had taken the poem and put a tune to it," Gray said in 1994: It was a needletime hit. Nobody bought it, but it was played a hell of a lot, and this helped with gigs. It's a good example of our approach, actually. We would do anything if we were going to be a wee bit different and cheer people up. As a semi-pro band, Mud was working hard, so when they made it, said Gray, it wasn't a shock to our system, as we were doing gigs five or six nights a week and we had daytime jobs. We had five years of working hard every night. We might even do a social club in the early evening and then a cabaret club at midnight. All I remember now is humping the equipment around. In the late Sixties Mud appeared on Opportunity Knocks but came second. Their many other television spots included Crackerjack! and The Basil Brush Show.

Gray said, We would do anything, because we wanted to work. We never said, "We're rock and roll, we don't do that." It's entertainment and besides, I loved Basil Brush! "I think that remark sums up Mud," says Mike Brocken, Senior Lecturer in Creative and Performing Arts at Hope University in Liverpool: Their early records sound like Edison Lighthouse and you can sense that they were waiting for something to happen. It was fortuitous for them that Glam Rock came along when it did. They were Glam Rock without actually being a Glam Rock band, and their records are so indicative of the era that anybody should be able to date them straight away. In 1972, the owner of RAK Records, Mickie Most, saw Mud at the Revolution Club in London, backing and also supporting Linda Kendrick. He wanted to sign them, but they had a contract elsewhere. Once they were free, they called Most. He asked the songwriters and producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman to see them. Chinn says, We didn't get it right at first with "Crazy" and "Hypnosis", although they were hits.

They had tango beats and they would not have been a big band if we had continued like that. When Sweet turned down "Dyna-Mite", we gave it to Mud and that went to No 4 and established the style. Then in 1974 came their massive hit with "Tiger Feet". Chinn comments, Of course "Tiger Feet" is repetitive but it sounds so good and is so memorable that it made the song. Sometimes you repeat things because there is nowhere else to go and that is what happened there. Amateur songwriters often write too many lyrics, which is a big mistake, because the public don't remember many words. This was followed with "The Cat Crept In" (which went to No 2) and "Rocket" (No 6), and the group also had a big-selling album with Mudrock. Gray said, I didn't mind miming on Top of the Pops as we could work out dance routines and some sort of a gimmick, and there was Gary Glitter, Alvin Stardust, Sweet, Slade, Suzi Quatro and us all trying to outdo each other. We were mates, but the competition was fierce.

After the Christmas extravaganza in 1973, with hyperactive hits from Slade and Wizzard, Mud had their Christmas No 1 in 1974 with a ballad, "Lonely This Christmas". Chinn, its writer, says, It was Mud parodying Elvis Presley, and some people did think it was Elvis at first. Les did a great Elvis on that. We didn't write it that way, it was just how he saw the song. Gray commented, I was doing an Elvis on that but it was really a send-up of all those smoochy songs. It works because it can also be taken seriously. I remember playing it on tour and some of the fans were crying and others were laughing. In 1975 they had their third chart-topper with a revival of Buddy Holly and the Crickets' "Oh Boy!" Gray admitted: We stole the idea completely from Steeleye Span. They had recorded an a cappella version of "Rave On", which we loved. We felt we could do something like that as a relief from all the rock'n'roll stuff on our albums.

"Oh Boy!" was recorded as an album track for Mud Rock, Volume 2, but Mickie Most told Gray he had other ideas: We had finished our deal with RAK and we were moving to Private Stock for more money, and Mickie Most said, "'Oh Boy!' is going to be your last single with us." We thought he was trying to destroy us for leaving him, as it didn't sound like a single. When it went to No 1 within a fortnight, we realised that Mickie Most knew a lot more than we did. Mud had further hits with "L'L'L'Lucy" and "Show Me You're a Woman". Gray was disappointed that Mud's version of Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" didn't reach the top in 1976 but by then, punk was making its presence felt, which made Mud look outdated. "That could have been a factor," said Gray, but I think we got too big for our boots. We were thinking we were Steely Dan and we should have stuck to being a pop band. We made some records that were pretentious.

I left the band at the end of 1978 and then Jack Good asked me to take part in a revival of his TV show Oh Boy! on stage at the Astoria and then it was a TV series with myself, Lulu, Alvin Stardust and Shakin' Stevens. It Stevens. It was all Fifties rock'n'roll and I remember Jack driving me around London in a pink, open-top Cadillac and saying, "This is what being a pop star is all about, old chap." As a solo artist, Gray revived "A Groovy Kind of Love" (1977) and "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" (1977) with moderate success.

He appeared on Top of the Pops with a full orchestra and performed "A Groovy Kind of Love" live and "it was the first time I had been without my mates and I had never been so frightened in my life." In 1981 Gray recorded "Rock on Elvis" under the name Tulsa McLean: When Elvis died, I got about five phone calls asking me to do some sort of tribute and I wouldn't do it, it's cheap, I would feel like I was thieving something. Later on, when Gidea Park did "Beach Boy Gold", we arranged an Elvis medley and it worked out very well. I called myself Tulsa McLean after his character in G.I. Blues. I thought I did a good job but [the Radio 1 DJ] Mike Read sussed it was me. He played it on Radio 1 and said, "That sounds suspiciously like Les Gray to me." I don't know whether that killed the record, but it didn't sell. Later, Gray formed Les Gray's Mud with members of Sweet and Liquid Gold and played nostalgia shows. "I don't care where I play," said Gray.

Gerry Marsden won't work in a club where he doesn't have his own toilet, but I couldn't care less who sees me having a pee. When Gray contracted throat cancer, he gave up performing, but he refused surgery, which would have ruined his voice. Although chemotherapy left him unable to sing as he had before, he had planned to make a final appearance with Les McKeown of the Bay City Rollers and Alvin Stardust at a huge charity concert, "Blast From the Past", at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow this Saturday. Spencer Leigh 1000+ images about Mud - Glam Rock - the 70s on Pinterest | Studios, London and Gray Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Mud - Glam Rock - the 70s Mud are an English glam rock band, formed in February 1966. Their earlier success came in a pop and then glam rock style, while later hits were influenced by 1950s rock and roll, and are best remembered ...

Origin: London (1966) Lead singers: Les Gray (1968 – 1990), 79 Pins77 Followers Les Gray Discography at Discogs Born- April 9, 1946, Carshalton, Surrey Died- February 21, 2004, Portugal of a heart attack Singer with the glam rock band Mud Aliases: Les Gray | The Blog of Death The Blog of Death March 24, 2004 by Jade Walker Les Gray Categories: Musicians Thomas Lesley Gray , the lead singer of 1970s glam rock group Mud, died on Feb. 21 from a heart attack. He was 57. Gray played the trumpet in his school band and joined a traditional jazz band when he was 12 years old. He later wrote commercials for an advertising agency and played in a skiffle group called The Mourners with his younger brother, Pete. In 1966, Gray, drummer Dave Mount, bassist Ray Stiles and guitarist Rob Davis formed Mud . The band won a talent contest and appeared on “The Basil Brush Show,” then toured Great Britain as the opening act for Jack Jones.

Mud produced more than a dozen hit singles , including the chart-toppers “Lonely This Christmas,” “Tiger Feet” and “Oh Boy.” “Tiger Feet” was the biggest-selling single of 1974. The band split up three years later, and Gray launched a solo career. He released five singles between 1977 and 1982, and toured as Les Gray’s Mud . In 1981, he also recorded “Rock on Elvis” under the name Tulsa McLean. After smoking 50 cigarettes a day, Gray spent his final years battling throat cancer. Although doctors wanted to remove his voicebox, he opted for chemotherapy instead. 37 Responses to Les Gray Valerie It’s not judging to point out the ill effects of smoking. Ex-smoker, 3 pks. a day. Thanks for pointing that out Valerie. Now let the man RIP. Thank you “X” for your tribute. RIP Les Gray.

November 5, 2004 at 4:56 am i met les during one of his gigs in birkenhead mersyside…he was very friendly and a genuinly nice guy….i was a young man when mud had there hits in the 70s, when i hear their stuff now great memories come flooding back….god bless you les the greatest glam-rock band of all time!!!!!!!! Les was the best,god bless YA. December 6, 2004 at 2:33 am Rest In Peace Les – You were a legend who’s Music, Charisma and Voice will never be forgotten – I have been playing my Mud Cd’s constantly and still seem to hear something new in your music 30 years on – I just hope the BBC does a tribute to you and the boys soon – It will be Lonely this Christmas During the 70s Mud were a superb band led by a great front man in les Gray.I have just bought the latest Double album (Time and Again).You may no longer be with us Les but your music lives on.

Another great who died to young January 8, 2005 at 1:22 pm Dear Les, I loved your music from the start, my favourites being Lonely This Christmas, Tiger Feet, Oh Boy and, of course The Cat Crept In. My three year old son, Taylor loves your music too. Mud got me through school and I’ll always remember you and the rest of the band. Rest In Peace, Les. God bless you. Clive Handel April 20, 2005 at 9:58 pm MUD were a great group and Les was the perfect singer for the band. My favorites were The Cat Crept In, Rocket, The Secrets That You Keep .. and of course Tiger Feet and Dynamite were also great tunes. When MUD teamed up with Mickie Most (Rak Records) Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman it was a magic formula for music success .. so many wonderful memories. The music will live on forever. David. in former 70ties MUD counted as to as one of the best glam bands forever.

In 1973 me and my family came from Poland to Germany and August 5, 2005 at 6:33 pm Mud Mud Glourous Mud theys nothing quite like it for cooling the blood. I will never forget the opening to there show it was fantastic we was at the halifax civic and what a night it was. Mud at its best the fans whent mad while they was singing tiger feet and les ray and rob doing there littel walk sadly we will never see this again Iv seen them loads of times but never like the night in halifax “brillient” Good by Les you will always be my Elvis and the king of pop. Roden September 20, 2005 at 8:48 pm Les you were the best I was lucky enough to meet you three times once in Southport at the hight of your fame and twice when you came to Wigan in the early 80’s. You were a gentleman each time and you had time for everyone. I still have my signed picture of all the band which say’s “have a rocking 1975” at the top which I was sent as a member of the fan club.

RIP Les i’m sure your making heaven rock. November 21, 2005 at 3:04 pm Something there to inspire everyone. It’ll be lonely this christmas lip synched to a ventriloquist doll will never be matched. Fake snow, Les sitting on a stool exchanging looks with the doll as the band did their ‘shadows walk’ either side…. i didn’t need to understand, I was pre-school and accepted this as a way which adults behaved. Will have to learn more about the man. A hero. in former 70ties MUD counted as to as one of the best glam bands then. In 1974 and 75 my husband and me went to Li December 13, 2006 at 6:05 am I work as a support worker for Peter. I was asked to give my condolences to Les Gray as Peter was a very big fan of the band. Only last week Peter was singing Tiger Feet at a conference in Liverpool.He will be sadly missed by all. My condolences Hello, I am very sorry and sad to hear over half a year that Dave Mount left us. I would like express my very highest condolences to his whole family.

I was shocked about reading this now. I was also shocked as Les left this world. I was a great fan of MUD since 1972 beneath S.Quattro, Sweet and Slade ( I had the great luck to have a dinner with Dave’s colleague , Mr. Don Powell in Hamburg in Down Town Blues Club). My greatest hits of MUD were Tiger Feet, the cat crept in , Rocket. I had a big respect to them, because I am also a guitar player in Hamburg, a teacher of guitar, since I ever know…MUD had a great time , but also a hard way since 1966. I loved them , I loved their music. Rob Davis was since 1973 an idol guitarist for me, and Rick played ever in MUD and at Hollies a brilliant bass. May Dave find his freedom in heaven – I hope his family is a christian one….. Dave had reasons to die this way, he decided not a natural way, but his own way…. this is sad for all family-members, friends and people loved him.

whenever Daves family will be in Hamburg – you are very welcome in my house all the best January 9, 2008 at 8:09 pm Les was one of my first pop crushes, I never heard he had passed away until today years later. I was so sad to hear. I met him once in Leeds when I was 14 years old and he was friendly and funny. I saw him last in the 90’s in Bradford, he was still friendly and funny and charismatic. He died on my birthday, and was part of my growing up, his band filled my teenage life with happiness. My condolences to his family whilst he sleeps in peace. God Bless all March 11, 2008 at 4:07 pm My previous memoir to Les has been deleted – so to all of you Les Gray/MUD fans – the memories of Les and MUD are still close to my heart as if it was yesterday, his smile, the fun he had when he was performing. Some people can’t understand why he didn’t have his voicebox removed but I do understand just as his wife, Carol, does also.

Singing and performing was his whole life – that was what kept him alive. I tried to get in touch with Les when I came to the USA to actually ask he and his wife to visit with my and my then husband (if they so desired) – the message I don’t believe was never delivered by his Dad and I wish I hadn’t given up and that I’d tried harder to contact him (them)just to say hi. I was so young, naieve, and it was the ‘best’ time of my life. When my 72 year old mother saw Les performing on youtube – she too balled her eyes out because that was a happy time in her life also and she remembered meeting Les and the bank and actually meeting them at a party (after we followed the car around the roundabout about 20 times – they couldn’t shake us) – fun times….memories that last a life time. Janice Obituary: Les Gray | Global | The Guardian The Guardian Share on Messenger Close Les Gray, who has died of a heart attack aged 57, was one of the most recognisable personalities of the glam rock era.

With his band Mud, he peeled off a string of 15 hit singles in three years during the mid-1970s. Mud went to No 1 with Lonely This Christmas and Oh Boy!, but it was their first chart-topper, Tiger Feet, for which they are best remembered. This is partly because of the song, a frenetic jitterbug with Gray shouting "That's right, that's right, that's right" over it, and also because the image of Mud wearing huge, tiger-feet slippers on Top Of The Pops has become an enduring "I remember 1974" moment. Gray was born in Carshalton, Surrey, and his earliest musical dabblings consisted of learning the trumpet at school, and joining a trad jazz band when he was 12. For some years, he pursued music as a part-time activity, while employed as a copywriter for the advertising agency Pearl & Dean; then, he combined working at the men's outfitters Moss Bros with playing in a skiffle band called the Mourners, alongside his younger brother Pete.

The Mourners morphed into Mud in 1966, with Pete giving up the drum-kit to Dave Mount, Rob Davis joining on guitar and Roy Stiles playing bass. The new line-up made their debut at Streatham ice rink, south London, and released their first single, Flower Power, in 1967 to cash in on the summer of love euphoria. Neither this nor the follow-up, Up The Airy Mountain, sold many copies, but Mud still made a solid living playing most nights while holding down day jobs. Appearances on Opportunity Knocks, Crackerjack and the Basil Brush Show helped pull in the crowds - "It's entertainment and, besides, I love Basil Brush," said Gray - but it was not until they were spotted by pop entrepreneur Mickie Most (obituary, June 2 2003) while playing at London's Revolution Club that stardom became a possibility. Most signed Mud to his RAK label, and put them together with his regular songwriting team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.

After a couple of false starts, the group recorded Dyna-Mite, which reached No 4 in the charts in November 1973, helping to establish their glam/pop/trad style in the process. In January 1974, Mud scorched up the charts with Tiger Feet, and the afterburners ignited under their career. That year, the charts were splattered with Mud hits, among them The Cat Crept In, Rocket and the album Mudrock. They even bagged the Christmas No 1 with Lonely This Christmas, a song that gave Gray a chance to show off his impersonation of his idol Elvis Presley. Mud were back in the top slot in May 1975 with a cover of Buddy Holly's Oh Boy!, but the disc marked the parting of the ways with Most. The band had decided to move to a more lucrative deal with the Private Stock label, but disconnected from Most's hit-making machine, their fortunes declined. Their recording of Lean On Me entered the top 10 at the end of 1976, though Gray acknowledged that a hint of pretension had begun to creep into the raucous good-timeyness that had endeared them to their public.

By the time Gray left the group in late 1978, he had released a couple of solo singles, though they barely dented the charts. Even less auspicious was his 1981 Rock On Elvis. Gray had always been a heavy smoker, and was diagnosed with throat cancer not long after the release of a Mud compilation album, Let's Have A Party, in 1990. At the time of his death, he was planning to perform at a children's charity event in Glasgow this Saturday, where he was to have been reunited with Alvin Stardust and the Bay City Rollers. His wife Carol survives him. · Thomas Leslie Gray, singer, born April 9 1946; died February 21 2004 1000+ images about Mud (Music) on Pinterest | Mud, 1950s rock and roll and Glam rock Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Mud (Music) Description Description This page is dedicated to the memory of 70's glam rock'n'roll ba...nd Mud.

Starting out initially as a novelty psychedelic pop outfit in the late 60's, they were eventually discovered by the Chinn & Chapman production and songwriting team and were one of the biggest selling rock bands in the UK and Europe, mostly known for songs like "Tiger Feet", "Dynamite" and "Lonely This Christmas". Sadly, Les Gray (vocalist) and Dave Mount (drums) are no longer with us, but that doesn't mean we should let the legacy die.

Due to some bickering and contentious comments on this page, here are the rules: 1) No gossiping 3) No speculation on the private lives of the band members (ESPECIALLY on Les Gray!) 4) No bullying other group members 5) Treat everybody with equal respect 6) Potential members must have a photo of themselves on their profile due to some impostors trying to muscle in on this group See More Tags Les Gray - The Scotsman Les Gray 01:16 Tuesday 24 February 2004 Les Gray, pop singer Born: 9 April, 1946, in Carshalton, Surrey Died: 21 February, 2004, in Portugal, aged 57 LES Gray was the lead singer of Seventies glam rock band Mud, who had no fewer than 15 hit singles, including the chart- toppers Tiger Feet, Lonely This Christmas and Oh Boy. He left the band in 1977 and went solo, releasing five singles up to 1982. Among them was his tribute to Elvis Presley, Rock On Elvis, which was released under the pseudonym Tulsa McLean.

Gray had been receiving treatment for throat cancer, which he blamed on his 50-a-day smoking habit, and at one stage doctors wanted to remove his voicebox, which would have ended his career. Instead he opted for chemotherapy to cure the cancer and save his voice. He died a week before he was due to make his career comeback.Gray was still at primary school when he began to take an interest in music. He played trumpet in the school band and the Scouts, where he first met fellow Mud member Rob Davis. Music began to take up more and more of Gray’s life and he had joined a trad jazz band by the time he was 12. After leaving school, he wanted to pursue a career in journalism, but instead got a job writing commercials for the advertising agency Pearl and Dean. However, the hours began to clash with his burgeoning musical career and he got a job at Moss Bros, the outfitters. At one point in the Sixties, he and Davis were in a Surrey band called the Mourners, which gradually switched from trad jazz to rock ’n’ roll, and the other two Mud members, Ray Stiles and Dave Mount, were in a rival group called Remainder.

The Mourners then changed their name to Mud, Stiles and Mount joined them, and they played their first professional gig in March 1968 at London’s Marquee Club. The group recorded a series of singles for CBS and Philips over the next few years, none of which troubled the charts. Then, in late 1972, they got the break they so desperately needed. The songwriting duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who had had success with the Sweet and Suzi Quatro, were looking for a new band: Mud jumped at the chance and signed a deal with Mickie Most’s Rak records. Crazy, their first song for Rak, got to No 12: Mud had made it at last. In October 1973, the image changed with the introduction of teddy-boy gear and a rock ’n’ roll sound: Dynamite reached No 4 in the charts and it was followed by Tiger Feet, which topped the charts for four weeks and became the biggest-selling record of 1974. The hits kept coming: The Cat Crept In, Lonely This Christmas, The Secrets That You Keep and Oh Boy.

In 1975, Mud split from Rak and went on to have hits such as L’L’Lucy and Show Me You’re a Woman on their own label. After the band broke up, Gray toured Europe as Les Gray’s Mud until he became ill. He died of a heart attack while in hospital in Portugal, his home for the past 12 years. He had been due to host a Seventies-themed charity show at the SECC’s Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow on Saturday and perform a duet with Alvin Stardust. The show will go ahead as a tribute to him. He is survived by his wife, Carol.

Question: Les Gray was the vocalist with which glam-rock band?
Answer: MUD